Minuteman’s slam dunk siblings 

Muji Vader’s favorite basketball moments come when everyone on the team gets involved in the action. Joey Vader loves crashing the boards, throwing his body in the line of fire and doing whatever it takes to win. 

Rising seniors on the Minuteman High School basketball teams, the Vader siblings use their favorite game as a vehicle to make an even bigger impact in the community. Born in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, the Vaders were raised in an orphanage before moving to Concord in 2016. In 2022, they founded “The Assist,” a nonprofit organization focused on basketball-related service projects and volunteer opportunities around the world.

“Our mom is very passionate about finding something you’re good at and finding a way to build service around it,” Joey said, “so we revolve our nonprofit around using our skill of basketball to do good in less fortunate communities.” 

That takes form in many ways. 

Since launching the organization with assistance from one of Muji’s coaches, Ryan Brown of Lady GHOSH, the Vader siblings have repaired hoops and left basketballs on a road trip from Phoenix to Los Angeles, helped run a basketball camp in Jamaica, and worked with Ugandan children to construct a basketball goal by hand. While their classmates go on vacation, the Vaders spend their school breaks participating in these service projects, usually two or three per year. 

They’ve completed projects in Treasure Beach and Kingston, Jamaica; Jogo and Kampala, Uganda; Marrakesh, Morocco; Haifa, Israel; and domestically, in Southern California, Las Vegas and across New England. They find projects in different ways, either identifying their own or partnering with an existing opportunity. 

Their favorite project revolved around a trip last August to visit the Connect Africa Vocational School in Jogo, Uganda. At Minuteman, students concentrate on a specific trade subject. Muji focuses on culinary arts and hospitality, so learning how to cook Ugandan food was a highlight. The Vaders brought a few basketballs, and when the Connect Africa students showed interest, they taught them the game. 

“They’re a vocational school and do the same things as us, just a little different,” Muji said.

Minuteman athletic director and boys basketball coach John Fusco described the Vaders as “ambassadors” for the school. Everyone in the building knows them, but they never seek attention. They get along with their peers and lead by example. 

“They’re always helping young kids and doing things for the community,” Fusco said. “You can truly see the two of them want to give back. It’s obviously a credit to their family, but a major credit to them… their willingness to do this is humbling.” 

On the court, it’s no secret that the Vaders, who are 11 months apart in age (Muji’s older), galvanize their respective Minuteman hoops teams. 

A 5-foot-8 guard, Muji posted 21.3 points, 10.4 rebounds, 7.5 steals, and 4.5 assists per game last winter for a Revolution team that went 16-5 and won its first round game in the MIAA Division 5 state tournament. 

After graduating from Minuteman, Muji plans to take advantage of the Swiss citizenship she gained through her father, Dave, with a postgraduate year at Ball Academy in Geneva, Switzerland, training and playing for a club team. She also hopes to play with the national U20 team. After her gap year, she’ll start college in the fall of 2027 stateside (she hasn’t decided where yet). 

“I really just want to play competitive basketball,” Muji said. “I want to play… not sit on the bench. If I had the choice, I would go to a really good Division 2 school because that’s a good balance between sports and school.” 

Joey Vader averaged 14.6 points, 15 rebounds and 3.6 assists for the Minuteman boys last year. The 6-foot-2 do-it-all wing hopes to lead them to the tournament this winter after falling short last season. He also plays soccer. After graduating, Joey will take part in a year of service in Haifa, Israel with the Baha’i World Center. From there, he’ll either go to college or start working in the electrical field, his Minuteman concentration. 

“I want to apply to a couple technology schools, but I still have to figure out what I want to do,” he said. 

Their next volunteer project remains in early planning phases. Family members participate in most of The Assist projects, and the Vaders hope to get friends involved soon. 

Lessons learned from their basketball endeavors translate directly to the work they’re doing in the community. Lift up others, and results will follow. 

“When everyone is shining and enjoying themselves… Every team is so much better when everyone’s having fun,” Muji said.